In 1603 a Dutch (V.O.C.) fleet imposed a blockade on Goa, the capital of the Portuguese colonial Empire
in the Indian Ocean, for the first time. From 1636 to 1639 ships of the V.O.C. blocked the entrance to the port of Goa,
determined to take the city. On January 4th 1638, the Dutch under Admiral Adam Westerwolt fought a naval
battle against the Portuguese. The Dutch, temporarily focussing on other targets (Conquest of Batticaloa on
Ceylon, May 1638) ended the blockade when Portugal in 1640 rebelled against Spanish rule.